"The Grass is Blue" by Dolly Parton (1999)

Where that stalwart, unsinkable frou-frou apparition craftily pulls another trick from her sequined sleeve and comes up with such joyous, old-time fiddling bluegrass album that the rest of Nashville hung their heads in shame for neglecting her. The market was always focused on youngsters and even people who were architects of country music found themselves pushed in the background, luckily Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris and Loretta Lynn found their admirers amongst young producers willing to take risks, but for me its Parton who takes the cake as the most delightful of them all.

Dolly Parton had recorded occasional bluegrass number here and there trough her long and adventurous career but this is first time she actually created decidedly bluegrass collection from start to finish - it works beautifully despite the fact it had absolutely nothing in common with than current trends and perhaps this is the answer why it became so successful. For all her glitz, tits and wigs, Parton is first and foremost great singer-songwriter and once you recover from initial shock of her stage appearance, the music she sings is often enchanting if you give her a chance. Curiously, it seems that her particular talent shines best when she is not shoehorned into modern production but let loose on traditional material as on 1987. "Trio" with Ronstadt and Harris - it took some time, but when she returned to her Appalachian roots the results are stunning. Parton is such brilliant singer that she actually manages not to be eclipsed by all these virtuoso musicians who play around her like possessed, with great enthusiasm and authority. There are lots of surprises, starting from Billy Joel opening number and old "Silver Dagger" lifted from early Joan Baez album, but personally I always found "Cash On The Barrelhead" by The Louvin Brothers my favourite. It was hugely successful and deservedly so (it melted hearts of traditionally reserved music critics in Europe) and first in trilogy of her bluegrass albums - probably the best of them. If you like this, you might check out "The One Rose" and "Sings Bluegrass" albums by lovely Rose Maddox who is undeservedly neglected artist from another era and deserves proper re-evaluation.